Properly announcing my next book, The Poisoning of Aurora Finch, a gothic horror romance that is also a loose retelling of du Maurier's Rebecca that turns Mrs Danvers into a MILF love interest! Coming early December 2026!π
Currently in the hands of alpha readers before I edit again for betas, contacted a cover artist, and I'm feeling so stoked about this book!! It's so much darker and bloodier and spookier and sexier than The Bones We Haunt, my debut novel, and I am excited for y'all to read it.π₯Ήπ«ΆπΈπ·
You can keep your eyes on this space or my Instagram @/jo.taylor.books for updates and upcoming preorder info!
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
β Live Streamingβ Interactive Chatβ Private Showsβ HD Qualityβ Free Actions
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Do you, your new girlfriend, and the demons that occasionally posses her count as a polycule or what?
The plot plays out like a man sees numerous horrors unfolding before his eyes, and when the horrors offer him a wedding ring, he accepts it, cause why not.
Sure, he's scared, but not enough to not sign up for a guaranteed place in hell.
If it worries you, the demons have many more hosts, but the recurring hosts, included in the intro, are the ones who willingly and actively allow the demons to use their bodies to have a relationship with Samuel. It's a murky situation, but the consent that is continuously negotiated is not part of the horror.
Wip intro made on canva, with canva resources, and various picrews.
Hi hello, and welcome to my little writing corner!
You can call me Flora (she/her), and Iβm hoping to carve out a place for myself in the writing community here on tumblr and follow along with new writing projects, as well as hopefully garner some interest in my own!
I hate the idea of creating this thing and asking for interaction without doing so myself; I am a huge believer of the idea of community, of bettering and bolstering other content creators, and participating in something bigger than myself. So, tag games, asks, challenges, and so on and so forth, are all welcomed and encouraged - additionally, I LOVE hearing about other peopleβs works, with a particular weak spot for high/dark fantasy, as well as urban fantasy.
Thank you for your time in reading this, if you are a writeblr, interact with this post and Iβll check out your blog! In the meantime, if youβre interested in learning about my wips, theyβre below the cut - I am a predominantly adventure fantasy writer, taking inspiration from D&D and real world mythos.
UNDECIDED : Unbound By The Light
Dark Fantasy - Found Family - Hurt/Comfort
Ashaveth, a once devout woman, finds themselves dragged back into the throes of their old beliefs when they stumble upon a creature spoken of only in aeon old hymns and textbooks lost to dust; a creature that bears the symbol of a Goddess they had abandoned so long ago.
Donning a mask that burns with a holy light, all consuming, all radiating - this, was a Faceless One.
If legend was to be believed, they were servants of Vigil, molded and shaped by Her to be the perfect protectors of peace and divine will - they had no name for they had no identity, they had no tongue for they had no voice, they had no blood for they did not bleed.
Had the Goddess she fled finally tracked her down?
UNDECIDED : Parcels & Papercuts
High Fantasy - Cosy - Found Family
The Couriers are a ragtag group who are the proud owners of the delivery service Parcels & Papercuts - a wandering delivery service who will deliver anything to anyone.
This is going to be an anthology series following the characters of this group and their various escapades - from delivering baked goods to a homesick grandaughter, to handing over a love letter to a scorned god. No job is too big and certainly never too small.
This is the type of series that you can jump in whenever, and you won't miss any major plot beats or anything like that.
guys it's time for me to write act three and I'm gonna explode. having freshly read III.i, I wanted to share my thoughts about how I'm thinking of tackling this infamous scene.
I thiiink it is going to start with Hamlet genuinely trying to open up to Ophelia. She has recently decided that she is the one who must kill Claudius, rather than simply expose the murder of her father. She's in an emotional state, is coming back to her room to have a moment of privacy, and comes across Ophelia, seemingly waiting for her after days/weeks of being avoided.
the to be or not to be monologue famously does not use any personal pronouns, which I think will lend itself to Hamlet trying to find connection and support from Ophelia without knowing how to phrase it. however, Ophelia knows that they are being listened to, and the moment she has a chance, she changes the subject to their romance, both out of not knowing what to say and out of wanting to protect Hamlet's private thoughts.
this throws Hamlet off her game even further. she feels like she is being rejected by Ophelia, both romantically and platonically. then, as she struggles through the subject change, she realizes that someone is listening to their conversation, and Ophelia knows it.
part of Hamlet's rudeness towards Ophelia now is overcompensating for her display of clarity and rational thought only minutes before. there is also the underlying betrayal that she feels, that Ophelia did not try to warn her/warn her sooner. she does not know who is listening, but it is en essence setting a ticking clock on Hamlet's goals, because she knows it will get back to Claudius eventually.
this sets her up to be in a state of genuine mania and paranoia in the following build-up to Polonius's murder. after so much time loitering, she has to act now, and she does not have the mind to be rational anymore.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
β Live Streamingβ Interactive Chatβ Private Showsβ HD Qualityβ Free Actions
Free to watch β’ No registration required β’ HD streaming
genre |Β young adult, high fantasy, adventure, lgbtq+
pov |Β third, limited
status |Β storyboarding/outlining draft four
synopsis |
Tensions in the kingdom of Arla have never been higher. Their diplomatic relations with other countries across the Lucent Sea are strained. Old magic that hasn't been seen in at least fifty years is bleeding back into the kingdom, causing sickness and fear wherever it goes. Something is deeply wrong. It all comes to a head when the prince returns from a hunting trip half dead, and his entire personal guard killed.
Helen Mast is determined to prove herself. A squire in the king's army, all Helen wants is to be granted the rank of knight and protect the kingdom she loves. A chance encounter with Muriel, head of the king's personal guard, leads to Helen being chosen to undertake a quest to retrieve a long lost magical artifact that grants unspeakable power to the worthy few able to wield it. It's the only thing, the king believes, that can give the kingdom enough power to save itself.
She's joined by Cordelia Langston, eldest daughter of one of the oldest noble families in Arla. Cory has her own reasons for wanting to join the quest, reasons she's unwilling to share. As the two journey deep into the heart of Arla, they discover secrets more deadly than the last β and a conspiracy that threatens to destroy the kingdom as they know it.
I'm starting a new tag list for this wip, so please let me know if you want to be added!
Character info below the cut!
STARRING
Helen Mast [she/her]: became a squire when she was very young, is desperate to get approval from Muriel (and any other authority figure), has learned a few trivial magic spells but isn't very good at them, has a horse named Whiskey who is her best friend
Cordelia "Cory" Langston [she/her]: eldest daughter of Lord Langston, lives in the palace six months out the year, would rather be out in the woods than stuck negotiating trade deals, loves her friends and family so so much
Moss Pennbrook [he/they]: bard who invites himself onto Helen's quest, a few years younger than Helen and Cory, born with the ability to wield magic (first in their family to do so), has never been serious once in their life
Levi Sherridan [he/him]: only son of King Sherridan and heir to the throne, was officially declared crown prince on his 18th birthday (which took place a few months before the events of the plot), frequently travels across Arla to connect with the people he's supposed to be ruling
Emory Thornfell [they/them]: a squire in Helen's squad, chaotic ball of energy who should really not be given sharp objects, befriends the prince, keeps Helen updated on palace ongoings while Helen is on her quest
helloo everyone! iβm ali (she/her/hers) and I am so excited to be here.
Iβve been on tumblr quite a long time (and lurked around writeblr) but never quite felt confident enough with my writing to post or even really talk about it.
I decided that this year I was going to be brave and finally join in on all the fun, inspiring people here on writeblr and post my work.
I am currently working on my first novel, βThe Darkest Hourβ.
It is a high fantasy, enemies to lovers story and Iβm currently still in my drafting phase.
Iβd love to interact with everyone and am totally open to any asks or tag games. I will be posting a story summary soon so look out for that β€οΈ
1784: Katharina Schmidt and her brother Hans grew up composing and performing music for royalty all over Europe. Now they are adults, only Hans is allowed to pursue his music, while Katharina's father tells her it's time to find a husband and settle down. Katharina's attempts to do as she's told only convince her that it's not what she wants to do, and she must decide how far she's willing to go to keep making music.
Hello, friends! It's been a minute since I updated the links on my blog, and I have just seen that I still have the "Beta Readers Wanted" post linked to the "Violins and Violets (WIP)" button... from the draft I finished and started querying in 2019 / 2020!
Things have... changed somewhat since then...
"Violins and Violets" is now a series, of (I expect) five books. None of them have titles yet, so I'm just referring to them as "Violins and Violets 1," etc. I thought it was time to make a new WIP page.
Book 1 tag - WIP page - first draft completed in December 2023, second draft in May 2024. Third draft finished in May 2026, currently halfway through fourth draft. (Earlier titled "Ladies Don't Write Music" - but this may be a better name for Book 2.)
Book 2 tag - WIP page - first draft completed in January 2024, second draft in June and July 2024.
Book 3 tag - early planning stages, hoping to create outline in 2026, to draft in 2026/2027.
Book 4 tag - hoping to plan and draft in 2027.
Book 5 tag - hoping to plan and draft in 2028.
Series tag - all posts made about "Violins and Violets" since I realised it needed to be a series, no matter what book I'm talking about.
Everything "Violins and Violets" - the whole story, right from the beginning, when I started writing the first draft of a single book for Camp NaNoWriMo in April 2018.
One-Shots - short stories that I've written for the "Violins and Violets" world.
"Vogeltje" - another novel that takes place in the same world, and features some of the same characters.
I'm trying to bring each book in somewhere around 75,000 words, taking three months to write a first draft, and two months for each subsequent draft. I find it easier to focus on the story proper when I write quickly and regularly, so when I have a draft on the go, I try to write every day. Between drafts, I am trying to take whole months off writing, so that I can rest my creative muscles, as it were.
You can follow my progress here on my writeblr, and on the NaNoWriMo website.
Characters:
Katharina Schmidt - musical prodigy and composer who performed for royalty as a child, but is no longer allowed, because she's a woman. Disguises herself as "Sebastien", and flees Salzburg to start a composing career in Prague
Hans Schmidt - brother of Katharina, who is also a musical prodigy and composer, but is allowed to pursue his music as an adult.
Franz Schmidt - solicitor; father of Katharina and Hans, who wants to see his daughter married well enough to put silly ideas of music out of her head.
Julia Schmidt - lady of leisure; mother of Katharina and Hans; wife of Franz, who loves to make tapestries and knitted garments; wants the best for her children and is willing to let Franz decide what this is.
Barbara Kirkmann - housemaid to the Schmidts, Katharina's closest friend and confidante.
Elisabeth Meyer - daughter of Franz' boss, Katharina's first "acceptable" friend, and the oldest sister of many siblings; keen to get married and start a life of her own.
Johann Schneider - training to be a magistrate, under pressure to get married, but totally uninterested in... anyone? All the ladies want him; none of them can catch him. Absolutely tone-deaf, but loves to watch musicians play; friends with Katharina.
Louisa Schneider - Johann's younger sister, also tone-deaf, but keen to become a musician under Katharina's tutelage.
Magdalena FialovΓ‘ - an opera singer who wants to get more young women into music; one of "Sebastien's" first and best friends in Prague.
MiklΓ³s KovΓ‘cs - a fellow violinist who persuades the management of the MalΓ‘ Strana Opera House to give "Sebastien" an audition. Best friend of Magdalena, and very close with "Sebastien".
Background:
Yes, Katharina Schmidt is based on Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart, who deserved a much better life than she got. I have always wondered what would have happened if she had defied her father when he told her to stop composing. Would she have known as much fame as her brother?
Yes, Katharina Schmidt is a lesbian. That's because she's only based on a real person; she isn't actually Maria Anna Mozart. I have no idea what Ms Mozart would have called herself, or how she felt, and I think it would be rude for me to try to guess. This part of Katharina's character is inspired less by history than by my own experiences and desire to see more representation of Queer people in historical fiction. (She's not the only person in the series who isn't straight! Who are the others? You'll have to read the books to find out... or just follow here; I'm yappy about it.)
